Everyone’s Favorite Cheesy Potatoes . . . from Scratch

When it comes to things that are “everybody’s favorite” like green bean casserole, tomato soup, buttermilk biscuits, birthday cake, and of course, cheesy potatoes (aka “funeral potatoes”), I am always on the hunt for a way to make them from scratch, without the use of canned soup or boxed mixes.

There are four things behind my penchant for replacing traditional recipes with their homemade counterparts:

Avoiding the high amounts of sodium, preservatives, and other chemical additives in processed and “prepared” foods is better for your health.
You can make almost anything from scratch without increasing the time involved beyond a few measly minutes at the stove. 15 minutes at most.
The from-scratch version always tastes better.
Cooking from scratch is more fun. It’s a challenge to find ways to make the old favorites from scratch.

This doesn’t mean I don’t use any frozen or canned or boxed or bagged items in my cooking. It just means I’m choosy about what I do use. I read labels. I decide deliberately. And yes, there are some things I have just caved on, like Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese and PopTarts, because sometimes discretion is the better part of valor, especially when you’re not the one in charge of breakfast and lunch. There are hills to die on, and there are hills not to die on. You have to decide what yours are.

Anyway, back to the cheesy potatoes. You know these potatoes. They show up on holidays and at pot lucks and wakes (thus the unfortunate moniker “funeral potatoes”) and after you’ve just had a baby. They’re often topped with crushed potato chips or cornflakes. They’re creamy and cheesy and utterly delicious.

And yes, you can make them without canned cream of chicken soup. It’s gloriously easy, in fact. I still use the frozen cubed hash browns because – well, potatoes are potatoes. I just forego the canned soup. Instead, I make a soup base on the stove and stir that in. It’s low sodium and very basic. And you control the ingredients, not Campbell’s. They’re also easy to make gluten-free.

I’m posting these now because I’ll likely make them for Easter brunch. If that’s your plan too, I encourage you to try these. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Everyone’s Favorite Cheesy Potatoes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium sweet yellow onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour

1-1/2 cups organic chicken stock

1 cup milk (anything but skim)

1 teaspoon kosher or fine grain sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

26 ounces frozen diced potatoes

1-3/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup reserved

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup sour cream